After the barbecue can be better than before

Everyday Food editor Sarah Carey shows you how to whip up a satisfying dinner salad inspired by the flavors of the Southwest.

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What will you do with the leftover steak, if any, after a Fourth of July barbecue in Southern Arizona? If you have a few chunks of steak, whatever kind and whatever treatment it had before grilling, you can always make a Steak Salad and send it along lovingly along to someone who is going to have to take their lunch to work.

A handful of mixed greens is a good base for a salad for one, although you can actually make as many salads as you need, dictated by how much meat you have left. You could also buy some tenderloin or another cut of meat, pan-grill it and go ahead with this recipe, because it is really all about the dressing, as most salads are.

I got Bernice’s French Dressing from my mother, but with something like steak and mixed greens you have to live up to it, kind of, with something elegant. I looked around and drew from a few different examples to get this dressing, which starts with a blender or food processor to emulsify the ingredients.

Array your greens in whatever vessel they require, such as a covered dish for going to work, or a salad bowl. Top them with your grilled steak that has been sliced thin and chilled.

Then place these ingredients in a blender or food processor, give them a buzz and create a memorable salad.

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Run the machine until it is well blended, although some green bits will still be visible.

If the salad is going to work, pack the dressing separately in a small airtight container. Otherwise drizzle the dressing over the steak salad. Serve with crusty bread, butter and wine if you can get away with it.

This is going to be a pretty darn good salad, I assure you, and it lives up to some light red wine or a sparkling rose. It will also leave you some room for dessert if you decide to serve it at home.

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Margot Fernandez is a retired educator who lives in Tucson. Her involvement in food and cooking came originally from the health food movement in the Sixties. Margot lived for many years in the Pacific Islands, where she studied the many cultures and languages of the area.. E-mail her at margot.fernandez@ymail.com.